Slope sheet cleaner for excavating machines



Jan. 25, 1955 F. F, KOLBE 2,700,235

SLOPE SHEET CLENER FOR EXCAVATING MACHINES Jan. 25, 1955 F. F. KOLBE 2,700,235

SLOPE SHEET CLEANER FOR ExcAvATING MACHINES Filed Nov. 19, 1949 4 sheets-sheet 2 Jan. 25, 1955 F. F. KOLBE SLOPE SHEET CLEANER FOR EXCAVATING MACHINES 4 Sheets-sheet 3 Filed Nov. 19, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan. 25, 1955 F. F. KoLBE sLoPE SHEET CLEANER FOR ExcAvATENG MACHINES Filed Nov. 19, 1949 United States Patent O SLOPE SHEET CLEANER FOR EXCAVATING MACHINES Frank F. Kolbe, Winnetka, Ill., assignor to The United Electric Coal Companies, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application November 19, 1949, Serial No. 128,283

4 Claims. (Cl. 37-190) This invention relates to excavating machines and particularly to a type of machine in which a very large wheel equipped with digging buckets is employed to move large masses of earth, as, for example, in the removal of overburden from the coal berm in strip mining of coal.

I have designed a machine of this character which has greatly increased the speed and efliciency of strip mining, particularly in areas where a large amount of overburden must be removed to reach the coal seam. It has been found in practice to not only increase very substantially the amount of earth which can be moved in a given length of time but also to make it possible to work mines which, with ordinary methods and equipment, could not be advantageously worked because of economic considerations.

In this machine the wheel is approximately twenty feet in diameter and the material is dropped from the buckets at or near the top of their path of travel. The weight of the discharged contents of the buckets is such that it cannot practically be permitted to drop directly onto the conveyor by which the material is moved away from the vicinity of the wheel and therefore a large inclined plate, commonly referred to as a slope sheet, is employed to break the fall of the discharged material and guide it toward the conveyor. Considerable diliiculty has been experienced in keeping this slope sheet clean and causing the material to move thereover in propermanner. It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a slope sheet cleaning mechanism which will effectively overcome this difficulty by keeping the slope sheet free from clogging and by insuring proper movement of the material across the surface thereof and onto the receiv ing conveyor. Y p

A further object is to provide a slope vsheet cleaning mechanism which will make it possible to mount the slope sheet in a more advantageous way than has heretofore been practicable.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is an elevational and somewhat diagrammatic view of an excavator wheel and associated mechanism, showing one of the digging buckets in section, and showing a slope sheet and the slope sheet cleaners of my invention in plan;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the section line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the slope sheet and the slope sheet cleaners with the driving mechanism for the latter, which is mounted beneath the slope sheet, shown somewhat diagrammatically in broken lines.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the section line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of a portion of the slope sheet, one of the cleaning mechanisms and the motor drive therefor;

Fig. 6 is a partial sectional view of the slope sheet showing the cleaner driving mechanism in cross section; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of said driving mechanism taken substantially on the section line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Referring iirst to Figs. l and 2, the excavator wheel, which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 11, is rotatably mounted by means of roller bearings 12 on a shaft 13 which is supported in a frame structure, includ and I-beams 14 and bearings or brackets 15, in which the shaft is supported. The wheel is adapted to be driven 2,700,235 Patented Jan. 25, 1955 ICC from suitable driving mechanism (not shown) through a ring gear 16 and may be raised and lowered by suitable mechanism (not shown) through brackets 17 and 18 fragmentarily shown in Fig. 2, said brackets being connected to the ends of the shaft 13.

A conveyor is mounted at one side of the wheel 11 for receiving the material therefrom and carrying it to a stacking conveyor or other receiver. Said first-mentioned conveyor is shown only fragmentarly in the drawings, the belt being indicated at 19 and the outer end pulley at 21.

The wheel has a number of digging buckets 22 rigidly secured to the periphery thereof and having teeth 23 on their forward edges. Said buckets are in the form of scoops having arcuate load-carrying bottom portions 24 which receive the material and support it until the bucket approaches the top of its circular path, at which time the contents are discharged and fall downwardly on the interior of the wheel. The latter'has a solid plate, or wall means, 25 at the side thereof opposite the conveyor 19, the central portion of said plate, indicated by the reference numeral 26, being of concave form and having a central opening for receiving a supporting frame structure 27 encircling the shaft 13. A slope sheet 28 is disposed inwardly from the concave portion of said plate 25 and extends downwardly at an angle beneath the discharge position of the buckets, said plate being xedly supported by brackets 29 extending between said sheet and the central frame structure which supports the wheel.

A transfer roller 32 is, or may be, rotatably mounted between the lower edge of the slope sheet 28 and the conveyor belt 19. Said roller is supported in bearing 33 and is adapted to be driven from suitable driving mechanism (not shown) by a shaft 34 supported in bearings 35 and having therein a coupling or clutch 36. An angular guide strip 37 is provided between the roller 32 and the conveyor belt 19 to direct the material onto the latter. An end guide plate 31 is also provided at the outer end of the roller 32 immediately above the conveyor pulley 21.

While said roller is necessary or desirable when the creaners of my invention are not employed, it is less necessary and may, if desired, be eliminated entirely when the slope sheet is equipped with such cleaners.

The cleaners of my invention, of which two are shown in the drawings, each comprise a pair of blades 38 fixed to a shaft 39 extending upwardly through the slope sheet 28, each of said blades having a single cutting edge 41 positioned close to the upper surface of the slope sheet (see particularly Fig. 5).

The driving mechanism for the shaft 39 is shown in detail in Figs. 5 to 7, inclusive, and comprises a motor 42 which drives a shaft 43 having a worm gear 44 thereon meshing with a worm wheel 45 secured to the lower end of the shaft 39. Said shaft is mounted in roller bearing 46 in brackets 47 and 48, respectively, the latter forming a housing for the gear 45, said housing being secured to the slope sheet by-means of screws 49 extending into a ange 51 on said housing.

The shaft 43 is mounted in roller bearings 52 and 53 suitably positioned in frame brackets 54 and 55, which also support a housing 56 for the outer end of said shaft 43 and the worm gear 44 carried thereby.

The motor 42 is suitably controlled so as to drive said cleaner mechanism at all times when the excavating machine is in operation, with the result that the cleaner blades 38 are constantly revolving over the surface of the slope sheet as the material falls thereon, thus agitating the latter and preventing it from sticking on said sheet.

While I have shown two of said cleaners it will be understood that the number may vary according to the size of the slope sheet and may be such as to keep the entire area thereof clean at all times. Since the shaft of each cleaner is mounted at a central position (vertically) on the slope sheet each cleaning arm or blade need be only half the diameter of the area to be cleaned. Such blades may be set at the best cutting angle to obtain most eicient cleaning. The rotary action, with the relatively short blades, makes for maximum efficiency and prevents the catching of dirt which might otherwise block or impede the operation of the cleaners. Since the slope sheet is kept clean at all times this permits the wheel to run faster than wold otherwise be possible since the egress of the material is not interfered with and furthermore, it permits working with fuller buckets since the additional material will not be blocked by an accumulation on the slope sheet and can always get out of the buckets in the alotted tlfie.

Another advantage owing frojni the use ot' inycleariingmechanism is that the slope ,sheet need not be mounted in as steep a position as it otherwise would need to' be. Ittherefore may absorb more of the impact of the fall of the material. @ne function of the roller 32 has been to absorb a part of the shock when the material falls rapidly over a steeply mounted slope sheet.V With the slope sheet mounted at alower angle the necessity for this roller becomes' less and, as above indicated, it may in fact be eliminated entirely. l d

s' indicated at the outset of this specification, the excavating machine in which the cleaningVrrrechanism-,ot my invention is employed is a very large one and handles enormous amounts of material. The cleaning mechanism has been found in practice to greatly increase the ei'liciencyl of operation and therefore the speed of operation and volume of material handled by the machinel in a given time. 4Accordingly the invention makes a very valuable contribution to the industry to which it relates.

The foregoingdetailed description has been givenv for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible in view of the prior art.

I claim: Y

l 1. Ina wheel type excavating machine wherein the digging buckets are mountedl on the wheel adjacent to its periphery and discharge downwardly from their respective upper positions as the wheel rotates, and wherein one side of the wheel has wall meansl and there is meansprovided alongside the'wheel1 for clearing away the excavated m'aterial,A the improvement which comprises having an inclined slope sheet disposed vertically beneath the uppermostv buckets to receive the' downwardly discharging excavated' material, said slope sheet having its uppermost edge disposed closelyl adjacent the wall means of said wheel' and dive'r'ging downwardly beneath said buckets to directthe materials `outwardly of the interior of the wheel to'war'd'saidrne'ans' for carrying away the excavating material, and a movable scraper mounted to scrape adhering excavated material from the top surface of said slope sheet,- and operating mechanism for said scraper beneath the sheet in the space between the wall means ot` the wheel andthe under side of the slope sheet. i

2. In a wheelv type excavating machine wherein the digging buckets are mounted on the wheeladjacent to its periphery and discharge downwardly from their respective upperpositions as the wheel rotates, and wherein one s ide of the( wheel has wall means the central part of which is cone-shaped and wherein there is means provided alongside the wheel for carrying away excavated material, the improvement which compriseshaving the cone project'axially inwardly of the wheel only part way be-l neath they buckets,l and havingan inclined slope sheet disposed inwardly of the wheel overlying they cone and vertically beneath the uppermost buckets to receiveV the l downwardly discharged material and to direct said mate- 1'ial to,ward -said means for carrying away said material, said slope sheet being inclined at a substantially different angle from the inclination of the cone, whereby a space is provided beneath said slope sheet and above said cone, at least one scraper mounted to scrape adhering discharged material from said slope sheet, and operating means for driving said scraper and disposed in said space between the underside of saidv slope sheet and the top side of said cone.

3. I-n a wheel type excavating machine wherein the digging buckets are mounted on the wheel adjacent to its periphery and discharge downwardly from their respective upper positions as the wheel rotates, and wherein one side of the wheel has wall means the central part of which is cone-shaped andpwherein there is means provided alongside the wheel for carrying away excavated material, the improvement which comprises having the cone project axially inwardlyof lthewheel Yonly part way beneath the buckets, and having an inclined slope sheet disposed inwardly vof the wheel' overlying the cone and vertically beneath the uppermost bucket tol receive the downwardly discharge'd-material and to direct said material toward said means" forcarrying away said material, said slope sheet being inclined at" a' substantially different angle from the inclination of the coneQVwherebfy a space is provided be-v neath said slope sheet and above said cone, at least one rotatable scraper blade mounted to scrape adhering excavated material fromthetop surface of said slope sheet, and" operating' means secured to the under side of saidslope sheet and operable independently of the operation of said wheel, each'lsuch blade being completed with a shaftl which is connected through the sheet to said operating means.

4. In a wheel type excavating machine wherein the digging buckets lare mountedon the wheel adjacent to itsy periphery and discharge downwardly fromV their respective upper position, as the wheel rotates, and wherein one side of the wheel has wall meansandy there is meansA provided alongside the wheel for carrying away excavated material', the improvement which comprises'having an inclined slope sheet disposed vertically beneath the uppermost bucket to receive the downwardly discharging excavated material, ksaid slope sheet having its uppermost edges disposed adjacent the wall means of said wheel and divergi'ng downwardly beneath said buckets to direct the materialV outwardly of the interior of the wheel toward said means forA carrying away the excavated material, and means associated with said slope sheet for removing adhering discharged material.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 324,559 tones Aug. 1s', 1885 1,274,927 Moon Aug. 6, 1918l 1,532,723 Webb Apr. 7, 1925 1,561,851 Haage Nov. 17, 1925k 2,417,846 Stevens Mar. 25, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 705,967 Germany May 15, 1941l 

